http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/dams/ en-us Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:54:18 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2351578/posts In what is being touted as the world's biggest dam-removal project, an agreement was reached Tuesday to remove four dams on the Klamath River and restore a 300-mile migratory route for California's beleaguered salmon. The tentative agreement was reached after a decade of negotiations among 28 parties, including American Indian tribes, farmers, fishermen and the hydroelectric company that operates the dams and distributes the water. The plan would set in motion one of the most ambitious efforts in U.S. history to restore the habitat of a federally protected species if it receives final approval by the parties in December, as... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2351578/posts#comment Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:54:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2344191/posts Portland, Ore. - Calling it an "insurance policy" for Pacific Northwest salmon, the Obama administration on Tuesday offered up a tougher conservation plan for the fish that includes climate-change monitoring and the "last-resort" possibility of removing dams. The plan submitted to a federal judge for approval was a revised version of a Bush administration plan that had been in the works for years, but which was rejected. Reaction to the new plan was sharply divided, echoing a debate that stretches back decades over balancing Columbia River Basin fish survival and hydroelectric dams: It either goes too far or not far... CNS News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2344191/posts#comment Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:41:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2340436/posts The Obama administration said Tuesday the federal government's salmon and dam plan for the Columbia and Snake rivers, with modifications, will not jeopardize endangered salmon and steelhead. A drop in the populations of the endangered salmon and steelhead in the region would trigger a new review of the recovery efforts and a consideration of alternatives including breaching four dams on the lower Snake River. But the administration said that the so called biological opinion, "combined with the implementation plan, is legally and biologically sound and based on the best available science." It would order the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers... Idaho Statesman http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2340436/posts#comment Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:11:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270280/posts For decades, most of the nation’s renewable power has come from dams, which supplied cheap electricity without requiring fossil fuels. But the federal agencies running the dams often compiled woeful track records on other environmental issues. Now, with the focus in Washington on clean power, some dam agencies are starting to go green, embracing wind power and energy conservation. The most aggressive is the Bonneville Power Administration, whose power lines carry much of the electricity in the Pacific Northwest. The agency also provides a third of the region’s power supply, drawn mostly from generators inside big dams. The amount of... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270280/posts#comment Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:49:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241637/posts Note: The following text is a quote: Ali Al-Marri Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Al-Qaeda Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, 43, a dual national of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaeda. Al-Marri entered his guilty plea at a hearing this afternoon before Judge Michael M. Mihm in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. In so doing, al-Marri admitted that he agreed with others to provide material support or resources to al-Qaeda in the form of personnel, including himself, to work under al-Qaeda’s... US DOJ.gov/opa - Press Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241637/posts#comment Fri, 1 May 2009 00:10:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2165627/posts The United States will need $1.6 trillion to repair damage to its infrastructure from a massive influx of immigrants, a new report reveals. In his report titled, "The Twin Crises: Immigration and Infrastructure," prominent researcher Edwin S. Rubenstein examines 15 categories of infrastructure: airports, border security, bridges, dams and levees, electricity (the power grids), hazardous waste removal , hospitals, mass transit, parks and recreation facilities, ports and navigable waterways, public schools, railroads, roads and highways, solid waste and trash, and water and sewer systems. Rubenstein, a financial analyst and former contributing editor of Forbes and economics editor of National Review,... WorldNetDaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2165627/posts#comment Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:08:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135174/posts NEVADA CITY, California, November 19, 2008 (ENS) - Four dams on the Klamath River that have blocked salmon runs upstream to their spawning areas may be removed in the year 2020 under an historic agreement among federal, state and corporate parties. Dam removal will re-open over 300 miles of habitat for the Klamath's salmon and steelhead populations and eliminate water quality problems such as toxic algae blooms caused by the reservoirs. The federal government, the state of California, the state of Oregon and the PacifiCorp electric utility Thursday announced an Agreement in Principle to remove the four dams as part... Environment News Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135174/posts#comment Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:37:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2055031/posts Pentagon Makes Fighting Extremism Top Priority Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Pentagon on Thursday officially named "the long war" against global extremism as its top priority and pledged to avert any conventional military threat from China or Russia through dialogue. The Defense Department, in a new national defense strategy, also emphasized the need to subordinate military operations to "soft power" initiatives to undermine Islamist militancy by promoting economic, political and social development in vulnerable corners of the world. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he hoped the change would help establish permanent institutional support for counterinsurgency skills... Previous Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2055031/posts#comment Fri, 1 Aug 2008 19:17:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021024/posts Cracks run on the top of a dam in Wenchuan, China's southwest Sichuan Province May 20, 2008. CHENGDU, China – Nearly 70 dams scarred by the force of China's most powerful earthquake in three decades were in danger of bursting, the government said Sunday, while looming rains added to worries about relief efforts for millions of homeless survivors. The confirmed death toll from the May 12 quake rose to 62,664, with another 23,775 people missing, Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin said. Premier Wen Jiabao has said the number of dead could surpass 80,000. A magnitude 5.8 aftershock rattled the quake area... Toronto Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021024/posts#comment Sun, 25 May 2008 14:44:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993152/posts HARRISBURG -- With a section of a Pittsburgh bridge dropping 8 inches and an Interstate 95 support pillar cracking in Philadelphia, Gov. Ed Rendell is turning up the heat under the Legislature to provide infrastructure repair funds more quickly. Mr. Rendell sent a letter to all 253 legislators yesterday urging quick passage of a $240 million "supplemental debt authorization." His program of borrowing would enable state officials to fast-track repairs on some of the state's 6,000 bridges classified as structurally deficient, along with fixing ailing highways, repairing "state-owned, high-hazard dams" and beginning flood mitigation projects. Also yesterday, Mr. Rendell called... The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993152/posts#comment Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:59:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988823/posts 1976 Teton Dam disaster is just one hurdle facing any project to store more water and make more electricity. While Gov. Butch Otter and the Idaho Legislature talk about ways to build new dams and enlarge existing ones, the discussions are framed by two floods - one that some fear could happen at any minute, and another more than three decades ago that still hangs over the part of the state once devastated by its power. Weiser residents are watching the weather closely as above-average snowpack threatens to swell the Weiser River, which has no dam, to flood stage this... Idaho Statesman http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988823/posts#comment Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:00:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1957210/posts The agreement announced Tuesday on the future of the Klamath River offers reason for cautious hope that the troubled waterway can recover from years of human intervention and abuse while meeting the conflicting needs of fish and farms. The agreement � forged by the farmers, fishermen, American Indians, government agencies and conservation groups whose views on the KlamathÂ’s future long have clashed � achieves the seemingly impossible: a broadly supported plan to allocate the free-flowing waters of the river without dams. Therein lies the hope. And therein lies the caution. That these longtime adversaries, who for years battled over a... Eugene Register-Guard http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1957210/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:20:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1925755/posts BANGKOK, Thailand - Six proposed dams on the Mekong River could displace up to 75,000 villagers and harm hundreds of species like the endangered giant catfish and Irrawaddy dolphin, conservationists warned Tuesday. Premrudee Daoroung, director of the Bangkok-based environmental group TERRA, said 13-year-old plans to build four dams in Laos and one each in Thailand and Cambodia have been revived as part of efforts — mostly by China, Thailand and Vietnam — to find new energy sources for their growing economies. "The natural flow of the river will all be completely changed," Premrudee said. "Of course, it will affect all... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1925755/posts#comment Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:22:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1918219/posts GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- California Energy Commission analysts urged Oregon, California and Washington to deny any requests from PacifiCorp to increase electricity rates to help pay for upgrading Klamath dams. A Monday letter signed by California Energy Commission executive director B.B. Blevins asks the public utility commissions in each of the three states to authorize cost recovery only for decommissioning the four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River. Indian tribes, fishermen and conservation groups want the dams removed to open up spawning habitat for struggling salmon runs. "The Energy Commission has a responsibility not only to provide reliable energy supplies,... Seattle Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1918219/posts#comment Tue, 30 Oct 2007 03:33:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1898650/posts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday proposed a $9 billion water bond measure that would earmark more than half the money for dams opposed by most of the Democrats who dominate the Legislature. The proposal eclipses the governor's previous $5.9 billion bond plan, in large part by adding a third dam project in Contra Costa County. Whether the lawmakers will go along with dams - and how much they are willing to pay for them - will be a key part of the negotiations in the Legislature's upcoming special session on water projects. Senate President Pro Tem. Don Perata, D-Oakland, has... AP on Bakersfield Californian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1898650/posts#comment Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:21:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1891800/posts The Schwarzenegger administration on Wednesday dusted off a failed dam proposal as a way to shore up California water supplies in light of a federal judge's ruling limiting shipments from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. But it seemed doubtful that the Democrat-controlled Legislature - long-opposed to new dams - would go along in the waning days of its 2007 session. At a Capitol news conference flanked by city water leaders, farm and building industry representatives, Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman said an Aug. 31 ruling by a federal judge in Fresno could cut water flows out of the delta by about a... AP on Bakersfield Californian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1891800/posts#comment Thu, 6 Sep 2007 03:14:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1867038/posts SACRAMENTO – California voters could decide as early as February whether to spend billions of dollars to build dams and a canal to divert water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday. His statement, made during a news conference at a shrinking federal reservoir, shows the governor wants to accelerate the timeframe to devise a far-reaching water plan. It also sets the stage for a summer of negotiations with the Democrat-controlled Legislature. If the sides can reach a deal, Schwarzenegger said a bond measure could be added to the ballot for the Feb. 5 presidential primary. That... ap on San Diego Union - Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1867038/posts#comment Tue, 17 Jul 2007 05:02:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1824182/posts SAN FRANCISCO -- A group of Klamath River Native Americans kicked off a road trip today from San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf to demand removal of several salmon-killing dams on the Klamath River. Members from the the Yurok, Karok and Hoopa tribes plan to tow hand-carved redwood canoes to Omaha, Neb., to a Berkshire Hathaway stockholders' meeting. The company, headed by billionaire and philanthropist Warren Buffett, owns PacifiCorp, the firm which holds the four hydropower dams on the Klamath River blamed for decimating local salmon runs. "We hope to meet with Mr. Buffett and convince him to do the right thin San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1824182/posts#comment Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:42:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1807225/posts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday promoted a $6 billion plan for increased water storage and protecting fresh water supplies, calling for two new dams and better management of the delta. "Our state's population is increasing rapidly. We also have earthquakes and major storms that could really destroy our levee system," the governor said, speaking against the backdrop of Friant Dam at Millerton Lake, in the Sierra foothills east of Fresno. Two-thirds of Californians depend on the Sierra Nevada snowmelt for drinking water while Central Valley growers use it to irrigate their fields. Schwarzenegger said the state's expected growth - to... AP on Bakersfield Californian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1807225/posts#comment Tue, 27 Mar 2007 01:28:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776567/posts GRANTS PASS, Ore. - A Pacific Northwest utility must build new fish ladders and take other steps to help salmon swim freely past four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River if it wants to renew its license to produce electricity, federal fisheries agencies said Tuesday. The cost of the ladders, turbine screens and fish bypasses was estimated at nearly $300 million. The high cost could boost pressure on the utility, PacifiCorp, to remove the dams altogether — something environmentalists have been pushing for. Removing the dams would open access to 350 miles of salmon spawning habitat that have been blocked... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776567/posts#comment Wed, 31 Jan 2007 04:49:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1774628/posts Democrats in the state Senate on Thursday said California does not need to build new reservoirs as it tries to cope with the expected consequences of global warming. Instead, the state should rely on conservation, underground storage and boosting the height of existing dams. Their plan, outlined in a series bills, runs counter to Republicans’ desire for new reservoirs to help California address the changes anticipated from global climate change. It sets up a potential clash in the coming months with Republicans and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who proposed $4.5 billion for two new reservoirs and underground water storage in his... AP & Davis Enterprise http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1774628/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:24:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1773848/posts Democrats in the state Senate on Thursday said California does not need to build new reservoirs as it tries to cope with the expected consequences of global warming. Instead, the state should rely on conservation, underground storage and boosting the height of existing dams. Their plan, outlined in a series bills, runs counter to Republicans' desire for new reservoirs to help California address the changes anticipated from global climate change. It sets up a potential clash in the coming months with Republicans and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who proposed $4.5 billion for two new reservoirs and underground water storage in his... AP on Bakersfield Californian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1773848/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:39:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1765066/posts SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday proposed another huge round of borrowing to build prisons, schools and dams in a state of the state speech that also called for cleaner fuels to help curb global warming. The borrowing proposals, which add up to $43.3 billion, are similar to ideas that were cut out of the enormous borrowing plan the governor put forth last year. The Legislature changed it and cut it in half, and voters eventually approved $42.7 billion in bonds in November. Addressing a joint session of the Legislature, Schwarzenegger said he was bringing the ideas back because,... ap on San Diego Union - Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1765066/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jan 2007 02:44:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1763840/posts Arnold Suffers Not Only From Broken Leg But a Case of "Dam-nesia?" Damnesia - damn amnesia, e.g., "What's Arnold's problem? Oh, he's suffering from damnesia again." - Pseudodictionary.com Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is using the environmentalists own "Global Warming" rhetoric as a reason to build new dams in California which they have opposed (see here: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070107/news_1n7dams.html). Even worse for environmentalists, he proposes to free up the long-standing political log jam on the infamous "Peripheral Canal" which would send water, which is dangerously backing up behind flood levees in Sacramento, around the Delta to Southern California. With shrewd ideological co-opting tactics like... The Pasadena Pundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1763840/posts#comment Sun, 7 Jan 2007 22:31:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1763763/posts SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to draw on his popular campaign against global warming to promote something not so popular among environmentalists – building new dams in California. His strategy will attempt to capitalize on fears that climatic disruptions linked to global warming could take a toll on fish and wildlife, as well as increase flood risks and reduce overall water supplies for a growing state. To guard against those threats, Schwarzenegger will aggressively pursue at least one, and possibly two new reservoirs as part of his 2007 agenda. The combined price tag could be as much as $3.7... San Diego Union-Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1763763/posts#comment Sun, 7 Jan 2007 18:32:17 GMT